Cuomo’s grant awards announced; Sullivan gets $1.7 million

ALBANY, NY — Governor Andrew Cuomo wanted to change the way economic development was pursued in the state, so he created 10 Regional Economic Development Councils, which all competed for $785 million through an application process. The 720 projects that won grants from all 10 regions were announced on December 8.

According to a press release from Cuomo, “Regional councils represent a fundamental shift in the state’s approach to economic development from a top-down development model to a community-based, performance-driven approach which empowers individual areas to develop comprehensive strategic plans that invest in regional solutions to create jobs and economic growth.”

Cuomo said, “The plans submitted by all 10 regions were truly extraordinary. For the first time, we are putting the power of the state government behind the innovation of our people, giving them the tools to rebuild our economy.”

The top four councils received about $100 million each, while the remaining six received about $60 million each. Sullivan County is part of the Mid-Hudson council, along with Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester. Mid-Hudson was not one of the big winners, but was awarded $67 million in grants. Of that amount, projects in Sullivan County received $1.7 million, while Ulster projects received $4.9 million and Orange projects received $7.4 million. There were also two projects that impact both Orange and Sullivan County. As part of the Southern Tier Economic Development Council, Delaware County received $1.8 million.
Go to www.governor.ny.gov/assets/documents/CFA
AWARDSBooklet.pdf for a full list of the projects across the state.

Sullivan County projects

• Sullivan County BOCES: $50,000 to train 30 unemployed residents to work at Shelburne Plastics in Monticello